Cruel Claws, Wicked Smile
by TransientTwilight
Summary: Chessur, a chain with lost memories, has been wandering around for decades in search of something, but she doesn't know what. Her nomadic life comes to a halt when she becomes tangled in a mutual deal with Pandora; they help Chessur find what she's lost as long as she helps with their research about the Tragedy of Sabrie. Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts. BreakXOC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello all! This is my first story on FanFiction. Though criticism would be nice, I don't really expect it. This story came from a "what if?" I had when I was reading the part in the manga about Cheshire's domain. Honestly, I don't even have the entire plot done with this story, but I hope it will be a success! I now bid you adieu, my awesome readers. Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts. All rights go to the respectful owners. This is a non-profit story.

**Profile:**

**Name:** Chessur (pronounced Che-shur, not to be mixed up with Cheshire) "Chess"

**Looks: **She has medium-length, choppy black hair, with bangs that fall in her face a bit. Her left eye at least is red (it's the only one people see). Coming up to 5 ft 6, Chessur's decently tall. She has a pair of black cat ears and a black tail. She also has fangs and black claws (and not just pointy nails either!). Chessur wears a royal blue sleeveless shirt that is extremely long in the back (falls to about mid-thigh), has black laces in the front, and is hemmed with black lace. As the shirt has no sleeves, she wears draping blue sleeves that are also blue, are hemmed with lace, and are strapped onto her upper-arm. She also wears simple black pants and boots. Around Chessur's neck is a very dark red bow and a long chain with a golden bell that never seems to ring. The bell is tucked out of sight, into her shirt.

**Chain Abilities etc:** Her true chain form is a huge (we're talking bigger than a horse), black creature that is unmistakably feline. The edges of her are unstable and seem to almost flicker and fade, like an onyx flame. Chessur's chain form is in a way made of shadows. She has the ability to melt into the shadows and travel in them, not too unlike Eques.

**Prologue**

_I have to get out of here, now! She is nothing like Mistress! She only _hurts_! _The smell of blood was beginning to really make her woozy. Looking around, she saw that the girl and her cat were animatedly talking in front of the fireplace. _Now's my chance! _Slinking to the shadows, she honestly thought she could escape.

"Why are you leaving so soon? It's time for tea, _you naughty kitty_." From her seat at the fire, the girl raised her hand, and the cat-girl rose from her place in the shadows. All of a sudden, she was whisked into a nearby wall, and it crumbled. After looking up in a panic, the she sprinted to the door and disappeared. The white haired girl knew what actually happened though; she had disappeared under the shadow of the door.

"Find her and bring her back to me! Don't leave any shadow unchecked!" she shrieked.

"Yes, Mistress."

The cat traveled by way of shadow so far, that she was exhausted. _Is anything broken?_ She knew a couple ribs were bruised, and the pain in her right shoulder was excruciating, but nothing else outside of that. She didn't dare come out of the shadows though; one cannot smell a shadow, and she knew she wasn't safe. There was only one thing left to do. _I need to get to the surface world, and I need to do it quickly. _There was only one problem with that; she had never been to the surface before, and she knew that a chain's presence there would be very shaky. _It's my last option._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello all! I'm so sorry it took me this long to get another chapter out, but I hadn't finished the manga yet and since it was so different from the anime, I told myself to finish reading it before posting anything else. I guess it's all fine and well because I edited my summary. Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts. All rights go to the respectful owners. This is a non-profit story. **PLEASE READ THIS NOTE:** in this chapter, Chessur doesn't have cat ears, a tail, etc. The only abnormal thing is her red eye that people see. She also doesn't have her "cool clothes" yet. Words in italics signify thoughts unless someone is speaking. Then they signify emphasis. Some of you probably know that anyways.

**Chapter 1**

A low grumbling noise resonated throughout the alley-way.

"I know, I know already, shush," a hungry Chessur muttered to herself. The last time she ate was yesterday, and even that was just a couple dinner rolls in morning that she got when she went to a restaurant and pretended that she was going to buy something. _Ha. Like I can even _afford_ two pieces of bread._ After deciding that sitting around wasn't going to do any good, Chessur arched her back in a stretch, rose from the cobble-stone road, and pulled the hood of her tattered brown cloak over her head. Squinting against the bright sunlight as she left the alley, the black haired girl swiftly joined the constant flow of market-goers.

_Not a cloud in sight. How . . . cliché. Pretty, but cliché nonetheless. _Chessur's expression changed into that of a beast; a beast that snarls and just happens to be fond of dry sarcasm._ And with that, the lonely, tragic princess who has lost her way arises for the day with a newfound hope._ The girl gave a snort at her own thoughts, causing a few curious glances to come her way. _Maybe, oh maybe my prince will come and rescue me! . . . Yeah right. Nobody's coming for me. Not one person._

Even though Chessur had been as inconspicuous as a fly (her hood covers her changing expressions and nobody really bothers to look at her anyways), people still seemed to keep a good distance between themselves and her. _I guess that means there'll be no 'grab-n-go's today_, she thought playfully and wistfully at the same time. _On second thought. . . . _Chessur spotted a fruit stand. She slowly walked towards it until the vendor was talking to a customer, and casually swiped the customer's bag of apples while walking swiftly by. By the time the customer realized it was gone, the red delicacies were tucked into Chessur's spacious cloak and she was making a getaway as fast as she could while still remaining walking.

_Wow! What a find! These'll easily last me a whole week! _At least, that's what Chessur was thinking until she saw the man she stole from quickly gaining on her. The man saw her mouth purse a bit when she spotted him and confirmed his suspicions that she was the thief. _I _knew_ it was too easy! _Chessur practically screamed in her head as she turned a sharp corner into a branch of the market specifically designed for clothes.

Snagging a black, leather cloak in a fashion much similar to how she stole the apples, the frightened girl quickly put it on over her brown cloak and prayed to whatever gods that may be that she would not be found out. _Don't look behind you, Chess, _please_ don't look behind you! _She could easily hear the angered man from before asking civilians if she'd been spotted. Ducking into what seemed to be an area reserved for the gypsy caravan that was temporarily settled there, Chessur tossed an apple to a nearby boy and asked in a frantic voice,

"Can you please hide me somewhere?" The young boy, looking no older than eight or nine, gave her a smile and pulled her towards a tent that was open on its opposite side to the public. _A fortune-telling booth, most likely. _Chessur was fine until she got into a panic and saw the man she stole from asking the lady there if I'd been seen. _Huh. He's got golden eyes. How odd. Never mind that! If she's been offered money and she sees me, I'm probably done for!_

"On second thought, boy, I think I'm going to go somewhere else. You can keep the apple if you wish."

"Thank you miss!" he exclaimed with his gap-toothed smile (which Chessur had to admit was very cute). "I hope you have a good day!" The thief-girl paused in her retreat, crouched down in front of the boy, and let him fully see her face. His eyes widened in astonishment when he saw it. With a smile that was warm, motherly, and sad at the same time, she replied,

"Thank you. And what is your name, boy?"

"I'm Nicolae, Nicu for short!" He exclaimed with a proud gesture to himself with his thumb. _Doesn't that mean "victor of the people", or something like that? _The thief looked the boy dead in the eyes.

"Well, little Nicu, I hope you have a good life. Live it to its fullest and fight strongly for what you believe in. Is that your mother in the tent over there?" Chessur gestured to the fortune-teller's tent that she was almost pulled into. Nicolae nodded vigorously.

"Yup! That's my Mama over there! And Papa is over there talking with the other men."

"Well then, my little warrior," Chessur began with an encouraging smirk. "Stick with them and risk everything for them because when it comes down to it, they'll stay with you no matter what."

"A-alright! I'll do it! I promise I'll make Mama and Papa proud!" Nicolae yelled out with commendable enthusiasm. _Heh. Don't make promises you aren't certain you can keep, _her mind said.

"That's the spirit!" her voice said. _No need to crush dreams hat you just built up._

"You know lady? You have really pretty eyes!" Chessur stared in shock for a moment, before blushing and giving a somewhat dark chuckle.

"Kid, your opinion on what's beautiful is pret-ty different than other people's." _He must be taught to compliment people and be polite, _she reasoned. The black-haired girl stood up suddenly when she remembered the also dark-haired man that's following her.

"I'm sorry for the abrupt farewell, but I really must be going."

"Really? But I just met you! Can you please tell me your name, miss?" The flustered girl took awhile before replying.

". . . It's Chessur."

"Well, Miss Chessur, will we meet again?" Chessur stopped looking around suspiciously for a moment and noticed how hopeful Nicolae looked.

"Maybe. I really hope so, but I'm not making any promises," she said with a faint smile.

"Alright! Goodbye, pretty lady!"

". . . Chess. You can call me Chess. Goodbye, Nicu, the little warrior. Shall we meet again," was what was gently uttered from her smiling lips before she turned around, picked up her bag of apples, and ran out of the caravan.

Before long, Chessur had made two sharp rights before sprinting down the road of brown-bricked shops and making two lefts before a right. Looking around, there was nobody around save a few straggling people. _Hn. I think this is the black market-y area. No wonder the guy didn't come here._ Turning into a near-by alleyway, she gripped the bag of apples with her protesting teeth and climbed up the ladder that led to the roof-tops. _So where did this guy chase me, hm? _Chessur pondered.

_Well, I smell some old fish, there're a few cats eating scraps out of that dumpster, and I just climbed up that rusty ladder . . . so I must be at the back of Sean's Fresh Seafood._ She ate an apple (which tasted like the finest ambrosia to her after eating nothing but things like bread and cheese for weeks) and lay at the top of the ladder until the sun had set before making her way towards her 'home'. To Chessur, home was any alley near a place she could easily steal from. _Liar,_ she sneered mentally. _That's nowhere near a home, let alone a house._

For almost as long as she could remember,Chessur had been living on the streets. Stealing and begging for food was all she knew how to do to keep herself alive. Nobody would hire her and they told her things like she was too young, too dirty, not enough of a lady, or not eloquent in the language of our neighboring country. _Pah! _The true reason – Chessur knew – was because she was a child of misfortune. Children born with at least one eye of red have been known to bring nothing but tragedy around them, or so the story goes. Chessur was sick of it though. She was sick of people and she was sick of the stories and excuses.

_Well, not all people,_ the girl thought while leaping onto the next building's roof. _Children are alright. Nicu is a perfect example. And there are some truly pure people out there. _She instantly – and regretfully - thought of her an old couple she had once lived with. Those were the start of her memories. Nina and Joseph had been married for almost 50 years when they first took in Chessur. She had needed immediate medical attention when Joseph found her in the rain one night. He took her to the meager hospital where Nina worked and Chessur spent three days there recuperating. The young thief remembered the day she woke up as though it was yesterday.

**Flashback (Chessur's POV)**

Where . . . am I? _I thought to myself. I cracked my eyes open, only to quickly shut them once more with a slight groan. _This light . . . it's too bright.

_"Oh! Are you awake, deary?" Once again, I opened my eyes, albeit slowly. A grimace quickly crept across my face._

_"Y . . . yes," I said. There was a rather strong croak in my voice._

_"Let me get you a cup of water," the nurse offered with a seemingly-permanent smile. I gulped it down like a madman who had been trapped in a desert._ Wait. Desert? What's a desert?

_"Can I please have another?" I asked, this time with a steadier voice._

_"Of course you can." After some more exchanged pleasantries, I learned that her name was Nina and she had been reading to me while a slept (one such book was about desert animals). But I was done beating around the bush._

_"Nina?"_

_"Yes, dear?"_

_"Why am I here? In this hospital I mean." Nina sighed._

_"I was hoping you could tell us that. You came in here all bruised and battered, and we patched you up the best we could. Actually, it was my husband, Joe, who brought you in here."_

_" . . . I see. And what is wrong with me physically?"_

_"Besides some pretty bad bruises on your waist and rib area, you have two broken ribs and we had to re-locate your shoulder." I shuddered, only to cringe instantly in pain with a sharp gasp though my nose._

_"Oh dear. It seems the pain medication is wearing off. We're going to have to give you more, okay? It will make you sleepy, but you won't feel any more pain," Nina cooed gently. I did nothing but nod and close my eyes as an assistant came in with the correct syringe of fluid. After that day, a couple weeks or so passed, I healed, and was about to leave on my merry way. But I wasn't going to without saying goodbye to Nina first. I found her reading to yet another comatose patient. _Typical Nina, _I mused to myself. As soon as I walked in, she closed her book turned around, and gave me 'the look'._

_"If you think that you're going to leave this hospital all by yourself, then you have another thing coming, missy!" I could only watch her in a stupor._

_"I mean, you're a teenage girl who doesn't even remember her past. Nobody seems to know you, or recognize the flyers we put up about you. How were you going to live? _Where_ were you going to live for that matter?"_

_"Um . . . by myself? I'll just try out for a few different jobs and see where it takes me."_

_"No. Nu-uh. Not happening. My husband and I were talking, and we think it should be best if you came to live with us!" the stern lady ended with a smile. _Wh . . . what? Live with them?

_"Like a real family?" I hadn't realized I said that part aloud._

_"Yup! Like a real family," Nina said with a very happy smile. I didn't say anything, but I ran over to Nina and nearly bowled her over in a hug. Tears started to well in my eyes, but I tried to hold them back – tried being the keyword. They fell and wouldn't stop falling._

_"Of course!" I hiccupped. I didn't really know why I was being that emotional, but I had a huge feeling of nostalgia. We just stood there, a soppy, teary mess, as we rocked back and forth in a hug. Nina had never been able to have children, so this was like a blessing._

**Flashback Over**

_Those days are gone now, _Chessur thought with a sigh. Deciding that the place below her was a good a place to sleep as any other, she carefully scaled the wall to the secluded street below. _Yeah right,_ the girl thought with a snort _careful isn't in my vocabulary anymore . . . wait, I'm usually pretty careful when I'm stealing stuff . . . and navigating crowds . . . and talking to people . . . oh screw it! _Instead of doing things the smart way, Chessur decided to wrap the apples in her new and decidedly heavy cloak, and jumped down to the ground below. It was only a one-story building anyways.

_Now, how many apples do I have left? _Chessur asked. She knew that she lost one or two during her flight, and she gave one to Nicolae. _One, two, three, four, oho! It seems like our friend left his hat in the bag while making his purchase! _she thought with a teasing grin. _Perhaps . . . I could incorporate it in one of my disguises? Or maybe I could sell it for a high price? Nah, nobody would buy an old, used hat._

Chessur simply put it aside and munched on her second apple of the day. After a few minutes of silence bar the sounds of her crunching her apple, Chessur finally groaned and decided that she would return the hat to the man tomorrow. _Hn. How troublesome. I think I'll leave an apology note in it and tell the fruit vender to give the hat to the man somehow. Yes. That sounds like a great plan. Now paper is easy, but where will I get the pen? No matter. I'll just get it in the morning._ And with that, the young thief pulled up her brown hood, used her new cloak as a blanket that will cover both her and her apples (she doesn't want them stolen, no?), curled up, and fell asleep.


End file.
